Everything That You Should Know About Jaundice: Causes, Symptoms, Diet And Its Prevention

Among all the known diseases, jaundice is a significantly well-known disease that might contact at any given point in time due to several factors. It is a condition where the yellowing of the skin, as well as the eyes, occurs as a result of the increased amount of bilirubin in the blood. The production of this element called bilirubin is done when the haemoglobin present in the blood breaks down during the process of cell recycling. The bilirubin is then carried into the liver through the blood.

In the liver, the bilirubin is bound with bile and then transferred into the digestive tract through the bile ducts from where it is eventually excreted from the body. If under certain abnormal conditions the bile cannot move from the liver and the bile ducts, it starts to get accumulated in the blood and gets deposited under the skin. This condition of the body is called jaundice.

A patient who is suffering from jaundice is more likely to have dark-urine but their stool may be light coloured. This happens because; due to some sort of blockage or a certain abnormal condition, the excretion of bilirubin does not happen with stool. Hence, the removal of excess bilirubin from the body happens through urine. Moreover, the bile that gets accumulated under the skin can also cause serious itching all over the body as well.

What Are The Causes Of Jaundice?

There may be several reasons why a person is suffering from jaundice. Each reason can be very different from the other but in the end, they all affect the same part of the body, the liver. The working ability of the liver is severely hampered by jaundice. Thus, to understand how jaundice can possibly harm you, you have to understand the different causes of it:

• Hepatitis: It is a disease caused by a virus and can heavily damage the liver. It is one of the most common causes of jaundice as it does not allow the bilirubin to move from the liver into the bile ducts. 
• Alcoholic Liver Damage: As the name suggests, a person who consumes a hefty amount of alcohol on a regular basis is more likely to contract liver-oriented diseases which in turn damages the bilirubin metabolism. 
• Tumor Or Blockage in the bile duct: Another major reason that can lead up to become a major cause of jaundice is if there is a blockage in the bile duct, it can cause the bilirubin to get deposited in the blood. While gallstones are among the major reasons that cause blockages, they may be caused by cancer as well. 

What Are The Different Types Of Jaundice?

1. Pre-Hepatic: This condition can lead to jaundice when the rate of the breakdown of the red blood cells gets increased rapidly. The symptoms that are common in this scenario are fever, chills and cold sweat, itching, abdominal pain, and so on. This can lead to diseases like malaria, sickle cell crisis, autoimmune disorders, and so on. 
2. Hepatic: This one happens within the liver when the hepatic cells begin to malfunction as a result of which the liver fails to conjugate the bilirubin from the blood. This can lead to severe diseases such as liver cancer, liver cirrhosis, viral hepatitis, and so on. The common symptoms that are involved in this include skin itching, loss of appetite, weakness, fiver skin darkening, and so on.
3. Post-Hepatic: This type of jaundice is termed obstructive jaundice as it blocks the smooth removal of conjugated bilirubin from the intestines. The symptoms generally include diarrhoea, abdominal pain, dark urine or pale stool, itchy skin, fever, and so on. This type of jaundice can also turn out to be a major cause of pancreatic and gall bladder cancer, gallstones in the bile ducts, congenital malfunctions, and so on.
4. Neonatal Jaundice: This is one of the most common types of jaundice that occurs in newborn babies. This happens because, in most cases, babies are born only with an average count of RBCs. This count of RBC is not enough to let process all the bilirubin that is present in the blood as the liver is still developing. This can lead to jaundice in the babies. Even this has a number of types, namely: 

• Physiological: This happens because of an underdeveloped liver.
• Premature: This happens when the baby is born earlier than the due date and does not have the ability to excrete bilirubin properly.
• Breastfeeding: Babies that do not get enough milk and may have a problem in breastfeeding may face this problem.

How To Avoid Any Possible Risk Of Contracting Jaundice? 

There is no definite preventive measure for jaundice as it can be cause for several reasons. But maintaining a few key precautions can effectively reduce the risk of having jaundice.

• It is best not to exceed the amount of alcohol you consume as excessive consumption can strongly harm your liver. 
• Maintaining a healthy and fit is not just the key to prevent jaundice, it can help your life better as well.
• Getting yourself vaccinated against hepatitis A and hepatitis B is very important.
• It is best to avoid any possibility of having unprotected sex.
• Maintaining good hygiene can be fairly important as well. Also, you should monitor your cholesterol levels. 

What Diet To Follow To Prevent Or Recover From Jaundice?

If you are suffering from jaundice, whatever your diet plays a fairly crucial role in healing you from the disease. It also helps you in avoiding this disease and keeping you fit and fine. Thus it is important to go with any kind of food that can help in improving the functioning of the liver alongside the metabolism of the liver and detoxifying it. 

It is very important to stay hydrated as it is one of the best and the fastest ways to get over jaundice and recover fast from it. Consumption of fruits and vegetables that have a high content of antioxidants and fiber can help in improving the functioning of the liver. Having green leafy vegetables along with lots of fruits can definitely help in improving your health. Alongside that, consuming the right amount of lean proteins can offer ease to the liver. While doing so, you also have to ensure that you avoid the consumption of alcohol, smoked or packed food as well as any form of refined carbohydrate.

Disclaimer: The information on this website should not be used as a substitute for professional medical care or advice. Contact a health expert if you have questions about your health.